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Metal Cross... Metagross... Get it? I know, I'm not so punny.
Zen has limited useful coverage, but gets STAB. Thunderpunch hits Gyarados, but has less power overall.

You can call me Lance the Dragon Master! You know that dragons are mythical Pokémon! They’re hard to catch and raise, but their powers are superior! They’re virtually indestructible! Well, are you ready to lose? Your League challenge ends with me!

Metagross has been popular ever since its introduction in 3rd gen, and for good reason. This Pokemon has some outstanding stats, especially its Base 135 Attack and Base 130 Defense. It also has a fantastic Steel/Psychic typing and a massive movepool. Its lowest stat is a Base 70 Speed, and even that is a lot quicker than many Pokemon.
Not everything is good for Metagross, though. It's two weaknesses, Fire and Ground, and quite common as attack types, and Steel and Psychic are poor offensive STABs as far as coverage goes. The nerf on Explosion hurt it, too, as Explosion was one of Metagross' best weapons. Metagross has no reliable recovery, so it can't take repeated beatings despite its great defenses. Finally, new threats like Ferrothorn and Rotom-W can wall and cripple Metagross. Still, you can't go wrong with this four-brained steel behemoth.

Clear Body prevents stat drops from opponents' moves and abilities. This almost always means enemy Intimidates, which is great because Metagross likes its big Attack stat.Light Metal halves the Pokemon's weight. Notably, this reduces damage from Low Kick and Grass Knot but increases damage from Heavy Slam and Heat Crash. Of these, you'll most often see Grass Knot, which Metagross resists anyway. I'd avoid this ability.

Metagross, along with its pre-evo Metang and Clefairy, is one of the only Pokemon who can learn Meteor Mash. Of these three, Metagross is easily the best user thanks to its huge Attack stat. The chance of raising Attack one level is an added bonus. Metagross is also an effective Pursuit user; many Pokemon try to flee when the Iron Leg Pokemon hits the field, and Pursuit will smack them hard. Thunderpunch hits most Water types, who resist Meteor Mash, hard. Metagross often carries Stealth Rock because of its typing and bulk. Earthquake and Hammer Arm provide good coverage, with the former doing better against Jirachi and the latter smacking Ferrothorn around. Bullet Punch works wonderfully on a Choice Band set; while not as powerful as Scizor's it'll still do a lot of damage. Agility throws out the issue of Metagross' mediocre speed, making it a threatening late-game sweeper. Meta can even go special or mixed thanks to its good Special Attack and decent special movepool.

Countering Metagross: The big one is Rotom-W. Except for Hammer Arm and Zen Headbutt, Rotom-W laughs at all of Metagross' attacks. It can then either wash it away with a Hydro Pump, paralyze it with Thunder Wave, or burn it with Will-O-Wisp. Ferrothorn does well on all variants except those with HP Fire or Hammer Arm, and can cripple it with Thunder Wave. Regenerator Slowbro has high enough Defense to brush off most of Metagross' attacks, even the Choice Band ones, but it must beware of Grass Knot. Skarmory has to look out for Thunderpunch and it can't do squat to Meta offensively, but it can Whirlwind it away or take the opportunity to set up Spikes. Jellicent is in a similar boat, but it can hurt and burn Metagross with Scald.

Pre-Evo Corner: It seems like Metang is fairly popular in NU. It's a bulky defensive beast when you combine its typing and defenses with Eviolite. It's modest offensively, however, so you'll mostly be doing damage with Toxic.

Don't bother with Beldum anywhere competitively unless you're playing for kicks. Its sole attack is Take Down, and while that makes for an amusing Choice Band set, it's still not gonna do much damage to anything.

Meteor Mash for STAB and a cute chance of raising your already nice attack,
Earthquake for coverage,
Zen Headbutt for STAB,
The problem is with Ice Punch or Bullet Punch, hard to choose. Coverage or priority? You choose

Earthquake, Ice Punch and Zen Headbutt are just the same, but when you use Hammer Arm your speed goes lower by 1 stage, meaning you'll get "faster and faster" under Trick room. This set is good in Doubles or Triples. It's pretty good in synergy with Telepathy Beheeyem.

Kraleck's Poke-Analysis
Stat:
-HP - Above Average. I normally say Base 80 is Average for Stats, but, in the case of HP, Base 70 would be considered "Average" to me. This is due to Satoshi Tajiri's fascination with bugs and the prevalence of Base 70 HP among Bug Types. Metagross's Base 80 HP is "Above Average" because of that. Considering Defense and Sp.Def with it, you've got a veritable tank.
-Attack - Legendary*. I say that 120 in any Stat is considered "Godly" due to Arceus being a Poke-Deity. Metagross is beyond "Godly" in Attack with that Base 135. With a lucky Meteor Mash or a Hone Claws, it gets even better.
-Defense - Legendary. The only drawback of Base 130 Defense is the fact that there are many with far better HP and the same or higher Defense. Plus, it's not going to help much against Special Moves that aren't Psyshock, Psystrike, or Secret Sword (and even those are rarely going to be used on Metagross intentionally).
-Sp.Atk - Good, bordering Great. Base 95 is very usable. However, it does pale in comparison to that Base 135 Attack. Yo do have access to Calm Mind, which also helps with the lower...
-Sp.Def - Good. Being lower than Defense with Base 90 attracts lots of unwanted attention from Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Fiery Dance, Heat Wave, Lava Plume, Overheat, and Earth Power.
Speed - Below Average (non-Trick Room). At the very least, you can take a hit well enough to use Agility/Rock Polish and improve that Base 70 Speed.

Adamant Nature is used because I feel that +2 is enough - it still outspeeds stuff like scarf Terrakion after one Agility, and with no way to boost your atk, you need all the power you can get. If I'm wrong, and it doesn't outspeed scarf Terrakion, use Jolly. Meteor Mash is STAB, but it's not Meteor Miss for a reason. For this reason, Zen Headbutt is important - it can take out stuff like Keldeo whilst seriously damaging Conkeldurr. Earthquake is Earthquake, and can hit predicted fire switch ins, and then there's a choice of the Punches - Ice Punch takes care of Gliscor, who would otherwise wall you, but Thunderpunch takes care of Waters, most notably Gyarados. Ice Punch I feel is better with the hype with the Therians and stuff, but Thunderpunch hits Waters. Your pick. You could also use Bullet Punch if you wished... hahaha.

Scizor is a serious contender - Technician BP as well as a huge atk, and U-turn. However, Earthquake and the elemental punches mean that this could also be used. Hammer Arm hits stuff like Mamoswine and Terrakion whilst still being usable against Jirachi, should it switch in, and coverage for the last spot. Meteor Mash could mean a +2 Metagross, which is beastly. Explosion is usable, I suppose...

There is no point for a special Metagross - and it DOES NOT get Calm Mind. Use mixed if you want, but not purely special.

Counters: Slowbro. A Banded Thunderpunch isn't guaranteed to get a 2HKO without Rocks up, whilst Regenerator, Scald, Fire Blast etc can cripple Metagross. Skarmory is an able check, fearing only the rare ThunderPunch. While Brave Bird won't do anything, Skarmory can take the opportunity to set up Spikes or Whirlwind it away. Any Gliscor can wall any Metagross without Ice Punch. Walls like Donphan and water types can wall it. Weather teams are hard for Metagross - Rain boosted Surfs or Hydro Pumps or Thunder can really hurt it, Sun teams roast it/ put it to sleep and set up with Growth (Venasaur) and Sand teams have Earthquake and Earth Power and stuff.

Metagross is awesome. Barring speed, Metagross's stats are absolutely incredible. That HP is a bit lowish, but it has the defenses that more than make up for it. That Clear Body ability is also awesome. With it, it can laugh at any Intimidate and is not threatened by defense drops. Its movepool is very nice. Its type leaves it with weaknesses to only fire and ground. However, fire and ground are pretty common.

Hone Claws is a boosting move that many drop in favor of superior Swords Dance, Bulk Up, or a Choice Band. Between Meteor Mash and Hammer Arm, the accuracy from Hone Claws is very much welcomed. Bullet Punch is a priority move that allows Metagross to bypass its speedy adversaries. If you favor the speedier EV spread, Earthquake can replace Hammer Arm.

I want to take a moment to discuss Hammer Arm vs Earthquake. For Metagross, things that don't resist Meteor Mash are pulverized by this move. Mostly. With the Air Balloon being a popular item, Hammer Arm is seen as a superior option. However, Earthquake allows Metagross to do real damage to Jellicent and not be helpless to a Chandelure that switches in. It also prevents Slowbro from walling the iron half-spider. The decision is up in the air, but with fliers, Levitaters, and Air Balloon...ers, Hammer Arm is more reliable.

An Adamant Metagross with a Hone Claws boost with max attack can 2HKO many threats with Meteor Mash, even certain threats that resist the move WITHOUT residual damage. Its not guaranteed. With two boosts from Hone Claws, it is guaranteed. Let's add the fact that Meteor Mash's attack boosts are not rare. Hammer Arm will see rare usage actually. Meteor Mash and Bullet Punch will get the job done after Hone Claws.
The held item is where there is real debate. Leftovers can allow Metagross to get one more Hone Claws boost while Life Orb provides added power. I don't recommend Life Orb because Metagross doesn't have a reliable means to recover HP. Air Balloon allows Metagross some very easy switch-in opportunities. With Garchomp finally in OU, Earthquake will see much more usage, allowing Metagross a safe chance to Hone Claws. I personally like Air Balloon boost.

Metagross is quite a behemoth with its high Attack and Defense. This makes it one of the most reliable Stealth Rock users in the game. It can also sweep late-game with Agility thanks to its decent movepool. The fifth generation however, has given it some trouble. The introduction of Volcarona and both formes of Landorus have hindered its effectiveness. Garchomp moving down from ubers did it no favors either. It didn't gain much other than Hone Claws. Finally, its biggest new problem the fifth generation has given it is the nerf of the once most powerful Explosion in the game. It also has to deal with its old problems, such as its middling speed and four-moveslot syndrome. Metagross can still be quite a menace to unprepared teams, as it can check some top threats like Alakazam, Tyranitar, and Terrakion.

AbilitiesClear Body: Prevents stat drop from opposing Pokemon. This is the only ability you should be using. Its pretty good considering Gyarados is a common switch-in to Metagross.It can also allow Metagross kill a Landorus-T below 45% provided Metagross is running a Choice Band set.Light Metal: Halves your weight. Fairly useless considering the difference of damage of Low Kick and Grass Knot is not very different.

Slightly modified lead set from last generation. Due to Metagross' massive physical defense, it does not take much damage from opposing lead Pokemon. This allows it to get Stealth Rock down quite easily. It can then dish out damage with its base 135 Attack stat and possibly even take down the opposing lead. Bullet Punch allows Metagross to KO weakened or frail opposing Pokemon. Meteor Mash is there to give Metagross a powerful STAB move, and it even has a 30% chance to give Metagross a boost in its already high attack. Hammer Arm is there to hit anything that resists Meteor Mash, such as catching Heatran on the switch or destroying a Skarmory that decides to Roost.

There are also a few other moves to consider. Thuderpunch prevents Gyarados from setting up on Metagross, so it could be used over Bullet Punch. Ice Punch OHKOs Gliscor who could also annoy Metagross with Protect and Substitute. Rock Slide is another option to hit Volcarona on the switch or expecting Metagross to switch out, as Thunderpunch only does about 1/5 to the most common bulky Volcarona, but that isn't seen too often.

Common switch-in to this Metagross are Skarmory and Forretress, who both take little from all of Metagross' moves and can use it as setup bait. Heatran and Magnezone are good teammates that can trap or force these two out. Heatran can also switch into a Fire-type move that is directed at Metagross.

Arguably the most powerful Metagross. Similar coverage moves, but a few differences. Zen Headbutt gives Metagross a powerful move to hit Rotom-W and Ho-Oh switch-ins fairly hard. Pursuit can catch frail threats like Jolteon and Alakazam switching out. Trick can also be considered to cripple Skarmory, but Metagross generally enjoys Choice Band's boost too much to waste it, and Metagross has coverage issues with Trick.

This is Metagross' best attempt at a sweep. Metagross can get an Agility in fairly easily thanks to the switches it causes with its ability to take a hit or two. a +2 Metagross is fast enough to outpace +1 base 108 Pokemon, and outpace base 110s using Hidden Power Fire.

Other Options
Metagross has a decent base 95 Special Attack stat and special moves to use it with them such as Grass Knot, Psychic, and Hidden Power, so it can run a decent mixed set to surprise switch-ins expecting physical Metagross.

Magnet Rise can be used in either tier Metagross is allowed in to foil Garchomp, both formes of Landorus, and Groudon, but as mentioned before, Metagross lacks the coverage to give up a moveslot for it. Hone Claws boosts Metagross' already great attack stat, and Metagross will have the power to make up for the loss in coverage, but it is too slow to use it and is easily revenge killed by threats such as Heatran. Choice Scarf Metagross outpaces everything up to the base 129 mark, but it must have a Jolly nature, so it is generally outclassed by the Agility set and other faster Choice Scarf users.

Counters
Countering Metagross generally comes down to what moves it has, but there is one Pokemon that comes very close to being a universal counter: Slowbro. It only fears max Attack Choice Band Thunderpunch, which has a small chance of 2HKOing, but Slowbro can simply switch out, activating Regenerator. In return, it can paralyze it if it's an Agility set, burn it. Slowbro however, is always 2HKOd by Grass Knot, so be sure what set it is running. Garchomp can easily check a mixed set, but it must be careful of Ice Punch, as Choice Scarf Garchomp doesn't OHKO it with Earthquake. Almost any variant of Landorus or Landorus-T will give Metagross trouble as well, even coming in for free if it uses Thunderpunch. Thundurus-T and in Ubers, Thundurs can prey on Metagross' lower Special defense and destroy in with their STAB moves. All four must watch out for Ice Punch though. Gliscor can wear it down with Earthquake due to the iron creature having no form of recovery. Rotom-W also mains it with its STAB and resists most of Metagross' moves. Metagross' old nemesis, Heatran is an even bigger threat due to the introduction of Air Balloon, which allows it to come in on Earthquake for free. Volcarona can switch in as Metagross uses Stealth Rock and set up in its face if it lacks Thunderpunch or Rock Slide. In Ubers, Metagross' biggest problems are Groudon and Ho-Oh, who take little from most of Metagross' moves, and take it out with their STABs.

Metagross is one of those OU pokemons you rarely see ok it have great offenses but have really bad STABs specially in OU and he can be easily revenge killed by special ground and fire moves namely genesect and sheerforce landorus which are running around OUץ
he have only 1 viable ability: clear body the other one is 100% useless as of gen 5 if it will give a ground resistance (making it a neutral attackl it would be good I can see it becoming like that but as of now only clear body.

Agilligross is the best se in my opinion being able to outsped all the threats which check him with his base 130 attack he can easily sweep after +2 attack late game of course
the last slot depends gyarados and other water types or dragons and thunderus-T and also gliscor.. all depends on your team.
Adamant have more power which is pretty important but with Jolly you outspeed even scarfed base 108 (terrakion and keldeo mainly)
so it -again- depends on your team.

Last edited by Ilan; 25th November 2012 at 4:12 PM.

Originally Posted by Professor Oak

Only two things are infinite, the universe and the amount of zubat in caves, and I'm not sure about the former.

Gravity Set
Metagross@Life Orb
Trait:Clear Body
Nature: (Adamant) - (Brave)
Ev's: (252Attack/252Speed) - (252HP/252Attack/4Def)
- Gravity
- MeteorMash
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
(Nature and Ev's depend on whether or not your running Trick Room with it)
This is a standard Metagross set other then the addition of Gravity. Gravity lets Metagross hit levitating and flying pokemon with Earthquake, while also boosting the accuracy of Meteormash. Ice Punch is just for coverage. This set kills on a trick room team.

I don't really recommend thunder punch or using the ability heavy metal, as it will ensure almost 1KO death from nearly any low kick I do recommend bullet punch because its metagross' only priority move except pursuit, I don't recommend this set unless you want to risk lower power, and slowness, next set please

Gravity decreases everything evasion meaning including yours so almost everything is guaranteed to hit, or go with the set up of Hone Claws to increase your accuracy for your attacks that need it, and decent attack, Ice Punch coverage, Meteor Mash Stab, and hammer arm or rock slide for coverage and hammer arm works great in a trick room

One of my favourite Pseudo-Legendaries in Pokémon History (Garchomp and Hydreigon are other examples, both of which were already covered in previous PoTW), Metagross, the Supercomputer Tank of Hell

Ability CompendiumClear Body: Prevents the enemy from lowering this Pokemon's stats.
Metagross's must have Ability, it prevents Intimidates coming from switch-ins and random debuffs due to many moves' special effects, though it doesn't prevent Metagross's Hammer Arm effect (it would be broken)Light Metal: The Pokemon's weight is halved.
Useless as useless can be (though two of Delibird's Abilities being the same is worse). Nobody uses Low Kick and Heat Crash and Metagross already resists Grass Knot and Heavy Slam.

Pros:
Insane Attack Stat (135) and Defence (130)
Decent defences (80/130/90)
Decent Special Attack (95), but we were going for a Physical Sweeper anyway, since DAT overwhelming Attack stat can't be wasted...
A crapload of resistances (Normal, Grass, Ice, Flying, Psychic, Rock, Dragon and Steel) and an immunity (Poison)
Resistant to Stealth Rock
Immune to Sandstorm and Toxic Spikes
Cool design, almost nobody can beat a Supercomputer Tank Spider of Hell in terms of design.

Cons
Not so decent Speed (70), but Trick Room can partially mitigate that problem
Two very common weaknesses to Fire and Ground-type moves
Its STAB coverage isn't really great, though Meteor Mash has nuclear power.
Problems with the four moveslot, it can't cover everything with only four moves.

@Iron Ball
Ability: Clear Body
Brave Nature (Atk+ Spd-)
EVs: 252 Atk, the rest should be invested in defences, NO Speed EVs and IVs
Meteor Mash
Hammer Arm
<Anything you want to cover certain threats>
<Anything you want to cover certain threats>
Important Notes: Trick Room support is a must in this set.
With some Trick Room support (Reuniclus is the first Pokémon that comes into my mind but there are better examples), an Iron Ball, 0 EVs and IVs in Speed, Metagross will be worse than Omega from the Final Fantasy series.
Meteor Mash mashes through opponents like a nuclear bomb and the occasional Attack boost means problems for the opposition unless he/she has Magnet Pull Eviolite Magneton or Magnezone in his/her team.
Hammer Arm lowers Metagross's Speed, which in Trick Room becomes a Supercomputer Sweeper of Hell and hits as hard as Omega's normal attacks.
For the other two moveslots...Earthquake hits hard as always and can complement your Doubles/Triples Trick Room strategy if you have Levitate or Flying-type Pokémon.Explosion, though it was nerfed, it still means ending the party with a "Bang!" in your opponent's face.Pursuit is extremely useful against Ghosts and Psychics, mainly if they are afraid of Metagross's mere presence.Rock Slide if added with Earthquake gets the infamous Quake Edge combo and you can even use the flinch effect to your advantage in this set.Zen Headbutt gets STAB and can flinch opponents if Metagross strikes first.Ice Punch if you hate Gliscor, Landorus (any form) and Dragon-types.Thunder Punch if you have some sort of vendetta against Gyarados (mainly if it has Moxie instead of Intimidate).Hyper Beam is just for trolling opponents (Omega has Wave Cannon in its arsenal which is similar to Hyper Beam), seriously, don't try this move...

I've noticed how much Hone Claws can really help Metagross. Its signature Meteor Mash, as well as a few others, suffer from that imperfect Accuracy that's ready to make you as useful in Battle as a Magikarp. Hone Claws can boost your oh, so wonderful Attack and the Accuracy of your bread-and-butter Moves - Meteor Mash, Zen Headbutt, Hammer Arm, and Rock Slide. If you feel extra risky, you could use it to buff Dynamicpunch (Emerald Tutor).

If you like Meta-Mixed, Icy Wind or Bulldoze could be used to offset your Below Average Speed (plus Icy Wind is aided by Hone Claws's Accuracy buff). However, in Doubles and Triples, these two Moves have consequences - Icy Wind gets damage cut for aiming at Opponents only (not much of a problem since it's mostly for utility) and Bulldoze may hit your Partner(s). They're low-damage Moves, yes, but mostly they're there for utility - Metagross's Speed is one of its main weakpoints.

"But what about Agility or Rock Polish? It can just buff its own Speed that way! Doant uze Icey Windz 0r Bulldose, N00B!!1!1!!1!!!11!!" Yes, but then you risk being Taunt-bait or screwed over by a random Encore. Speed buffs tend to be Metagross's first priority if it doesn't have support, which brings us to...

Baton Passers. Yes, you read that right. Baton Passing Speed is one of the best things about being an Ally to Metagross and you've got a few options. Ninjask, while frail, can get the job done admirably. If you can luck into a Motor Drive buff, Emolga isn't too shabby, either. While frowned upon, and banned in some circles, Smash-Pass Gorebyss pulls a lot of Metagross's weight with those buffs. Finally, Quiver-Pass Venomoth could be used to aid a Special or Defensive Metagross sets.

Ugh! I HATE FIGHTING PSEUDO LEGENDARIES!!!!
And he is one of them! I do love to have them on my side but not fight against them.

Why, I'm a semi casual and semi competitive player! I'm in between the two kinds of players!

Anyways, A good counter to consider is chandelure shadow tag , if facing the choice band set. If it uses Meteor mash or hammer arm, Its dead meat as chandy can prepare itself to nuke the super Iron computer.

But I winder, what makes a VGC gameplay different to the Casual battles and metagame battles?

Mind if anyone of you keep my pokemon company? Just click on these pokemon from Pokeheroes